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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (June 19, 1925)
I THE MONITOR I a WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED PRIMARILY TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY AT OMAHA, NEBRASKA, BY THE MONITOR POLISHING COMPANY Entered as Second-Class Mail Matter July 2, 1915. at the Postofftce at Omaha. Nebraska, under the Act of March 3. 1S79 THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS_Z..Z.. Editor W W. MOSELY. Lincoln. Neb____ Associate Editor LUCINDA W. WILLIAM*_Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES, *2.00 A YEAR; *1.25 6 MONTHS; 75c 3 MONTHS Advertising Rates Furnished Upon Application Address, The Monitor, Postoffice Box 1204, Omaha, Neb. Telephone VVEbster 4243 \UII —^ x~x~x~x~x“x~x~x-x«x^~x-x~x~x“x“x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x< •> ARTICLE XIV. CONSTITUTION OF THE X f UNITED STATES % % Citizenship Rights Not to Be Abridged £ 1. .All persons born or naturalized in the United States. £ X and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the ? Lx United States and of the State wherein they reside. No X state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the j privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States: nor X shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or prop- ,t. erty without due process of law, nor deny to any person £ within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, HX-*«-x~>*X“X~X"X~X“X-X"X“X~x~x-x-<~:-X"X"X“X“X"X-X":-v THINK IT OVER A HIGHLY esteemed friend and reader of The Monitor writes ns in well-meant criticism of the position taken by the Pub licity Committee of the Colored Commercial Club in its letter published in last week's issue, commending our recent editorial, “Our Strength in Omaha." Our correspondent of this week was also pleased with our editorial, but he sees in the logical carrying out of the proposition submitted by our last week's correspondent, the emphasis and entrench ment of the very principle which every right-thinking American should oppose ami that is segregation. Dr. Ward maintains, in substance, that we cannot consistently encourage the principle of segregation on one hand and oppose it on the other. Is he not right? Read his letter and think it over Can it he satisfactorily answered? We withhold our comment while thanking our correspondents for furnishing our readers with much food for thought. HOLDING THE WORLD'S RECORD DE H ART HUBBARD holds the world record for the running broad jump. At Chicago last Saturday he jumped nearly Iwentv-six feet, or to be exact 25 feet. 10 7-8 inches. This is nearly five inches, or, again to be perfectly exact, four and 11-16 inches farther than any other human being is known to have jumped be fore. He has. therefore, set a record for the entire world that will be difficult even to equal, to say nothing of surpassing. That a Negro athlete holds the world's record is a gratifying fact in the face of the disposition to write his race as in ferior in all realms of activity. Negro athletes are knocking big holes in the high wall of Nordic superiority. Hubbard has brought an enviable honor to his alma mater. Michigan university, by his athletic prowess and Michigan has been honored by admitting him to its privileges, schol astic and athletic. He has brought honot to America and American athletics and an especial honor to his rare. His achieve ments will be an inspiration to other Amer ican athletes, whose countenaces wear thf burnished livery of the sun. Hubbard has brought honor to America. He holds thf world's record. And yet the sad thoughl that intrudes itself is that America, nar row-minded. prejudice-hlighted. craven hearted America will not treat him at an American son, but as an alien, because his face is black. But this must not daun! us. or palsy our endeavors. We must keef striving to make and break world records wherever opportunity offers and some day America will Ire just, banish her Jirr Crow cars and other humiliations whirl U — she permits such men as Granville Woods. ! in science, George Carver in chemistry and DeHart Hubbard in athletics to suffer. MUNICIPAL STREET CARS WHY cannot Omaha own her street cat [system? Municipal ownership of gas and 1 I water has proven beneficial not only from the standpoint of efficient service but from the other important angle of economy. Municipal street tars is what Omaha needs. Let's go after th**m. MORE POLITICAL HERESY " i THE Monitor believes that the Com mission form of government is less ef ficient than the old councilmanic form. The ward councilman looked aft^r needed improvements in his ward and got them or his constituents knew the reason why. Interest wa* localized. As it is now, it is easy to pass the buck and delay mat ! ters. This is political heresy, hut never theless we are willing to confess that we i would like to see a return to the old coun | cifmanic form of city government. “WHITE SUPREMACY" : THERE is much talk these days about the maintenance of ‘ White Supremacy." Much of it is hysterical: a vast deal of it ! is quite unnecessary and foolish. 1 here I is a well-known biological law called "the | survival of the fittest." if the white races are the fittest to survive, the fittest to lie : supreme, they will survive and maintain : their supremacy which they will deserve to do; but feverish and hysterical boasts about the maintenance of white supremacy, unless moral, spiritual and intellectual standards and ideals conform thereto are foolish and vain. 1 EASTERN DELEGATES TO N. A. A. C. P. CONVENTION ARE COMING TUESDAY I _ < [ A large delegation from the eastern states, enroute to the sixteenth annual ^ conference of the National Association for ' the Advancement of Colored People, which 1 opens in Denver next Wednesday, will reach Omaha over the Burlington at 3:50 Tuesday afternoon, leaving at 4:25. That will give them thirty-five minutes in Om I aha. The local branch of the N. A. A. C P. plans to give these visitors a twenty minute auto ride over the city during their stop here. It is requested that any .of our citizens who will he willing to use . their ears for this purpose phone the Bev. I John Albert Williams. Webster 4243, not later than Monday night. Monitor For Sale Wishing to retire from newspaper work and devote my entire time to my parish work, I offer The Monitor, a well-established and well-known weekly newspaper, for sale. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. 2 % - THE NEGRO S CONTRIBUTION NOT NEGLIGIBLE J " X " % \ I A moment’s thought will easily convince open-minded .j. !! persons that the contribution of the Negro to American .j. !! nationality as slave, freedman and citizen was far from ••• !! negligible. No element of American life has so subtly and .j. !! yet clearly woven itself into warp and woof of our thinking •{. ! I and acting as the American Negro. He came with the first “ explorers and helped in exploration. His labor was from y < > the first the foundation of the American prosperity and j ■ > the cause of the rapid growth ef the new world in social and j* < > economic importance. Modern democracy rests not simply \ • - on the striving white men in Europe and America but also ? on the persistent struggle of the black men in America for y i two centuries. The military defense of this land has de- y y pended upon Negro soldiers from the time of the Colonial y wars down to the struggle of the World War. Not only does ? ;; the Negro appear, reappear and persist in American litera- v ;; ttu e hut a Negro American literature has arisen of deep ? 1 ! significance, and Negro folk lore and music ar4 among the £ ;; choicest heritages of this land. Finally the Negro has pjlayed .£ ;; a peculiar spiritual role in America as a sort of living, 2 • ’ breathing test of oar ideals and an example of the faith, ? 2 hope and tolerance of our religion.—Du Bois, “The Gift of ? 2 Black Folk.” * ; m | FORTUNE CLAIMED BY PEA SHELLER London Market Woman Seeks O’Connor Wealth. Hastings, Neb.— Mrs. Mary O’Con nor Tindall, 36 Doon street, London, Kngland, who has been shelling peas in Covent Garden, London, for 50 years and claims to be the champion pea sheller of the world, has put In a claim for the fortune of .John O’Connor. Hastings' shoemaker recluse, who died 12 years ago leaving $150,000 and no known heirs. The property is now worth about $250,000 and Is held by the state until the true heirs are lo cated. Meantime, some 500 or more O’Con nors all over the world have been after Hie fortune, but none have been able to prove relationship to the recluse. The fortune consists of cash, gilt edged bonds and mortgages and sev eral of the finest farms in Adams county. Mrs. Tindall has Just written Judge Waldo Withersteen of the District court that she believes she is a sis ter of John O’Connor and, as such, she thinks she is entitled to the $250,000. Referred to Three Brother* Mrs. Tindall says that 55 years ago her little brother, John O’Connor, at that time twelve years old. started for America in company with Dun, Denny ami Mike Hyan. brothers and friends of the O'Connor family. “If you can find either Dan, Denny or Mike Hyan, they will tell you I am John O’Connor’s sister," Mrs. Tindall naively remarks in her letter. Mrs. Tindall was “written up” a couple, of years ago as tlie champion pea sheller of the world. Her story gradually drifted around until a wom an in Spanishburg. W. Va., read it. The West Virginia woman had also read of the O’Connor fortune. She wrote Mrs. Tindall about the Ameriean fortune awaiting proof of relationship. Mrs. Tindall remembered her brother of half a century ago, ami immediately addressed Judge Wlntersteen. For over fifty years Mrs. Tindall hu» done nothing but shell peas, she says. Shelling peas is her one imd only job. But she has never seen a pea growing on a vine. She hasn't been out of London for over fifty years and sel dom has left the block where she works. In Hastings there’s always some thing new in the O’Connor ease. “O’Connor” is a standing assignment on the books of the city editors. Un porters, every day. stop by to see, not if there’s anything new in O'Con nor affairs, but what the new thing is. There’s always something new. For 12 years it's been the standing new’g of Hastings. Last month the new O'Connor story was the trial of James B. O'Connor, Kansas City lawyer, charged with forging a will giving himself the for tune of the recluse, whom lie claimed as an uncle. This was O’Connor’s third trial. One trial in 1922 lasted for font months. This was the case in which four claimants of the fortune—one from North Carolina, another from Lapeer. Mich.; a third from Fresno, Cal., and the fourtli from Selkirk, Man. —were fighting one another for the es tate. The Selkirk claimant was a half breed Cree Indian who said old O'Con nor was his father, and that he for merly had been a trapper for the Hud son's Bay company. None of tlie four proved his claim. Kept Affair* to Self. O’Connor came to Hastings when a young man, opened a shoemaker'* shop, attended to business, saved every cent, and made no confidants. He never wrote rfr letter nor received one, and never spoke to a woman ex cept on business. He invested every cent he got in lands at $1.25 to $2.56 an acre. That land is now worth $206 an acre. He died without leaving a will. The court took over the property. The story got into the new spapers, and it fairly rained claimants. At one time over 500 men, women and chil dren had formally applied to the court for the fortune. O’Connor's body was kept in cold storage for five years awaiting identi fication, and every O'Connor who saw it positively Identified it as the body of his father, grandfather, uncle, brother, cousin, or some other rela tive, although none of them had seen him for 50 years. After burial It was exhumed for the benefit of a woman from Watervliet, N. Y., who immediately recognized it as the body of her runaway hus band who had deserted her 51 years previously. But none has been able to prove re lationship und the fortune is still here. Mrs. Tindall, champion pea shelter of the world, has Just as good a chance of getting the money as anybody else, especially if she can find Dan, Denny or Mike Hyan anywhere. LONDON NOW HAS ABOUT 8,000,000 Telephone Area of City Coven 735 Square Miles. London.—Recent unofficial estimates of the population of Greater Londoa have put the figures at about 8,000,000. The London telephone area covers 785 square miles, and the metropolitan po lice district 091 square miles, and both are said to be growing rapidly. The distance across London from various sections of the greater city vary from twenty to thirty miles. Sir Kingsley Wood, M. P., speaking recently on the housing question, an nounced that the total number of houses authorized at the beginning of 1924 aggregated 198,808, and of these 52,109 had already been completed. Many Londoners are confirmed town dwellers, the speaker said, and a cer tain percentage of them always would be They preferred the cinema to the country, and they disliked a long Jour ney which cut Into their leisure. Without Imitating the worst fea tures of the American skyscraper, tt should be possible to erect dwellings with generous gardens or ground space and with proper arrangement for de cent living, and thus work out an eventual remedy to help relieve Lon don’s housing situation, which, for gen erations, has been one of the city’s most difficult problems. In spite of Its growth, London had 18 fewer fires In 1924 thun in 1923. The total last year was 3,845, of which 36 were serious. Red Tape Costs U. S, $970 in Man’s Death WashingtonBecause the check for a cash settlement on his $1,000 in suranee policy was not mailed by the veterans’ bureau until IB days after he died Comptroller General MeCarl has ruled that the government must pay i the beneficiary of John <'hard the ill face value of the policy, i Ids disc harge from the army In i‘r’1. (‘hard asked for a cash set- ; f ! ;'<» tear endowment pol release. lie (lied settlement Check t .SI BSCRIUE FOR THE WORLD’S GREATEST WEEKLY-THE MONITOR To the Telephone Users of This Community: As telephone users, I think you will be Interested in the following statement of the action this Company has taken to obtain authority to adjust exchange rate* In Nebraska up to the time we appealed to the Federal Court We consider you and every telephone user as essentia! partners in the succeatful operation of our business, and therefore we want you to know at all times what we are doing and why. Our efforts to secure adequate revenue from our operations in Nebraska to pay expenses and earn a fair return on the value ol our property, date back to September 30. 1918 At that time we applied to the Nebraska btate Railway Commission for authority to increase our exchange rates 20 per cent in order to meet the high operating costs resulting from the war. Hearings were held on our application during October that year, after which the Commission issued an Emergency Order, authorizing our Company to increase its exchange rates 10 per cent., effective December 1, 1918 The order was to expire after six months. On April 17, 1919, shortly before the Commission's authorization ol the new rates was fo expire, our Company applied for authority to substitute » slightly higher schedule ol exchange rates in Ne braska Hearings were held, and our application was granted on May 2, 1919. The Order specified that the new schedule of rates was to terminate at the end of that year As the close of 1919 approach ed. the Commission continued the rates for another year. However, on September 30, 1920, because of continued high cost our • Company made application for a 10 per cent increase on all exchange rates in Nebraska This application was granted on November 30, 1920, after a number of hearings, and a 10 per cent surcharge on exchange rates was authorized until June 30, 1921 Later it was continued until December 31, that year This was the situation when, on December 14, 1921. alter it was evident that a level of prices higher than those in 1914 would prevail, our Company applied to the Commission lor authority to es tablish a new schedule of exchange rates to take the place of the temporary sur charge rates. The schedule applied for was such as we then hoped might eventual ly result in satisfactory earnings but it is now clear that it would not have produced a fair return on the cost ol our property in this state as shown by the books of the Company After a senes of hearings on our applica tion, the Railway Commission on No vember 4, 1922, handed down an order which, if it had been placed in effect, it is estimated, would have permitted only the payment of our expenses and a return of 2,92 per cent on the cost ol our intra state property in Nebraska, based on 1921 operations. Following the Commission's order, compliance with which would have re sulted in the confiscation o( our property, our Company on November 23, 1922, appealed to the Federal Court. The Court on December 22, 1922, granted a temporary injunction against the enforce ment of the Commission's order and appointed a Special Master to hear evidence from the Railway Commission and the Telephone Company For years our earnings in Nebraska have been inadequate. In 1917 we earned only 5.15% on the cost of our Nebraska Division property, which included all of our Nebraska plant and a small part of South Dakota; in 1918, we earned 4.62% on the same property; in 1919, 5.30% and in 1920 only 3.09%. Since 1921 we have kept separate records for the state of ! Nebraska In 1921 we earned 2.87% on the cost of our property in this state; in 1922. 3.05%; in 1923. 4.63%, and in 1924, we earned 4.55%. All of these figures include earnings from interstate opera tions. In connection with the increased earnings in 1923 and 1924, it should be borne in mind that the rates allowed by the temporary injunction were in effect during these years. Notwithstanding the fact that the rates of our Company in Nebraska have been inadequate for many years, its subscribers have enjoyed a good quality of telephone service at prices relatively lower than what they have paid for other services and products. That they have been able to obtain their telephone service at such rates has been due to the fact already mentioned—that the Company has not been earning a fair return on the fair value of its property. The public demands and is entitled to reliable telephone service. The employees who help supply such service should be fairly paid. And those who invest their money to build telephone plant to meet the needs of the public for service, must be paid a fair return or the necessary new money for growth cannot be obtained. The interests of these three—the public, the employees and investors—are identi cal The interests of all can be best served only when charges for telephone service are such as are necessary to pay expenses and earn a fair return on the value of our property. It is the policy of our Company to refrain from increasing its charges for service until every effort has been ex hausted to operate satisfactorily on exist ing revenues. But when this cannot be done without impairing the quality of telephone service, we believe it our duty to seek an adjustment in rates. If there is any further information we ran supply regarding our efforts to obtain additional revenue in Nebraska, please ask any employee, or call our Manager and we shallgladly send a representative to see you. W. B T. BELT, President Northwestern Bell Telephone Company Ivy a None! Ql IT PAYING RENT! I have a number of bargains ■ ■ in homes, 5, 6 and 7 rooms, well ; ! located; am able to sell at $250 . and up; balance monthly like ; ' rent. Here Are Some Bargains: 5 rooms, modern, paved street, ' near car line. $2,850; $250 . cash; balance $27.50 per mo. ; ! 6 rooms, modern, garage for . two cars, south front, paved ' i street. $3,760; $300 cash, bal- ' ance $30 per month. ] E. M. DAVIS REAL ESTATE We. 6178 1702 North 26th St. ! DREAMLAND CAFE Opened Sunday, March 29, in the Jewel Building, 24th and Grant Streets. —SERVING— Ice cream, candies, soft J | drinks, sodas, and home s cooked meals. THOMPSON & TAYLOR. Proprietors LV.V.V.W.V.V.'.V.V.V.V.V.V WANT A HOME? i ■: We Have It Among £ ■: Recent Listings >m % - „ 5 f 5 Beautiful Residence Bun- f J galows J \ 2 New 5-room Cottages £ !■ Small Payment Down—Bal- £ ance Less Than Rent £ I* 1 can save you from $250 I| I to $500 on a five or six- J room bungalow built to jl your order anywhere you Ij want it. J C. W. WILLIAMS ■: ■; Real Estate ■I 1520i/2 North 21th Street ■* £ WEbster 4882 I; .v.vw.ww.v.v.w.v.v.vi' Don’t Fuss With Mustard Planters Musterole, made of pure oil of mus tard and other helpful ingredients, will do all the work of the old-fashioned mustard plaster — without the blister. Mustrrole usually gives prompt relief from bronchitis, sore throat, coughs, colds, croup, neuralgia, headache, con gestion, rheumatism, sprains, sore mus cles, bruises, and all aches and pains. It may prevent pneumonia. All drug gists—35c and 65c jars and tubes— hospital size $3. Better then a mustard plaster Tz •VVvW VVYVVTT7 'rvTVTYYV'rrrn | EMERSON’S LAUNDRY § ^ The Laundry That Suita AH y % 1301 No. 24th St Web. 0820 X 4* ¥ X^-X^^X~X-X*<“X"X-X~X“X-*X~ IHILL-WILLIAMS DRUG f COMPANY X FOINTAIN PF.NS—STATIONERY ? CIGARS and CANDY I Ptutm/m Kttdakt and Supphrt t 2402 Cuming Street <~x~x*<~x~x~x-x-x-x~x~x~x~x 1 ! X j; | US6T | I | ! 6% Dividends | * PayaUa Quarterly ' 4 I Assets - - $16,700,000 | | Reserve - * 465,000 ;1; *1* It Thrifty ta4 Start a Savingt v X Acananl Today {’ Thlrtg-ata ynart of tnanntt in 4 X Omalu aad Nakratha * ♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»•♦♦♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦* ( 1 •;• j| GOOD GROCERIES ALWAYS | |ii C. P. Wesin Grocery Co. j ¥ Also Fresh Fruits and Veget able» | :: 2991 CUMING STREET TELEPHONE JACKSON 109k j. !"W-WX“XK“XX><X>iXM">,X..|"XhXXK"X"!"K">W,!h!“>'X“X"X,‘-,W‘*« ' y I 21th and Decatur Sts. Phone WEbster 5#♦* % j | I. LEVY, Druggist | j £ free delivery | ? X CENOL A MYERS AGENCY % i V .*« I We Have It I ? i ¥ YOU CAN HAVE THE KIND OF JOB YOU '£ £ ARE LOOKING FOR £ •j* by listing your name and telephone number with v | o , 1 ALFRED JONES .;. Catering and Employment Office | > j & 1322 DODGE STREET AT. 9TU7 t % .? t jta*K k K k>;: w mi i: ;' KiK innnrK k n r. :: >'■ •• “ sw u *; :: LET US PAY YOU g// ON SAVINGS 1 -We Treat You Right STATE SAVINGS <£■ LOAN ASSOCIATION | N. W. Corner 19th and Douglas Streets Bankers Reserve Bldg. ” PATRONIZE THE STATE FURNITURE CO. Corner 14th and Dodge Streets Tel. JACKSON 1317 Headquarters B D IlliCIHI^V Phonographs for B If If 11 w YYIV It and Records trXXXSSSSSXIsS.X’-XXXKXX-XXXXX-’X-XXX^H.'JXM-XXXXM.XM-S!' 2 I # . :: Prescriptions % I A GRADUATE REGISTERED PHARMAC IST }t . | X Is in charge of our Prescription Department at all times. $ £ Your safety is guaranteed when you leave your . £ prescriptions at our store. X I Peoples Drug Store £ 24th and Erskine Streets WEbster 6323 1 Z ... t T" . ■■ ■ ■■■■ -< PLANTS, SEEDS & SHRUBS We now have at our store a most complete stock of plants suitable for Porch Boxes, Baskets and Beds at moT reasonable prices. Special for this week. Nice Stock of Geraniums $1.00 per dozen and up Aster Plants .25 per dozen and up Verbena Plants .25 per dozen and up Snap Dragon .25 per dozen and up Dwarf Mangold .25 j>er dozen and up Hot and Sweet Pepper .20 per dozen and up Cabbage .10 per dozen and up lomato .15 per dozen and up Remember that you patronage is appreciated bv th > old, reliable Home Landscape Service Tel. JA. 5115 24th & Cuming L =^^====^== „_j ■ _i ! >